50 Fun Facts About Nicolas Cage

What is Nicolas Cage's birth surname?

He was born Nicolas Kim Coppola in Long Beach, California, on January 7, 1964, and only legally changed his name in 2025.

His stage name was inspired by avant-garde composer John and which Marvel Comics superhero?

He picked a new name to avoid trading on his famous family, and it stuck for four decades before he made it legal.

Which famous director is Nicolas Cage's uncle?

Through his father August, he is also a nephew of actress Talia Shire and a cousin of Sofia Coppola and Jason Schwartzman.

What was his father August's profession?

His mother, Joy Vogelsang, was a dancer and choreographer.

Which 1982 teen film was Cage's big-screen debut, in a small role billed as 'Brad's Bud'?

He was still credited under his family name at the time.

In which 1983 romantic comedy, loosely based on Romeo and Juliet, was Cage first credited as 'Nicolas Cage'?

He played Randy, a Hollywood punk who crashes a San Fernando Valley party, opposite Deborah Foreman; Martha Coolidge directed.

For the 1984 film Birdy, Cage lost weight and had what done to look disfigured?

The film co-starred Matthew Modine as a Vietnam veteran who believes he is a bird.

In which 1986 fantasy comedy directed by his uncle did Cage play Kathleen Turner's husband Charlie Bodell?

Turner later complained about the nasal voice he adopted for the part and asked the director whether he had really approved it.

In Raising Arizona (1987), Cage's ex-convict H.I. McDunnough kidnaps one of a set of what?

Holly Hunter plays his wife Ed, a former police officer, and John Goodman began his long Coen collaboration as escaped con Gale Snoats.

In Moonstruck (1987), Cage plays Ronny Cammareri, a hot-tempered man with what job?

The role brought him a Golden Globe nomination; the film won three Oscars, including Best Actress for Cher.

In Vampire's Kiss (1989), Cage replaced a scripted raw egg by eating what for real?

The film flopped but his over-the-top performance later became a fountain of internet memes.

Which David Lynch film starring Cage as Sailor Ripley controversially won the 1990 Palme d'Or?

Laura Dern played his lover Lula in the adaptation of Barry Gifford's novel.

Cage won the Academy Award for Best Actor for which 1995 film?

He also took the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama for the same role.

What is the occupation of Ben Sanderson, the alcoholic Cage plays in his Oscar-winning role?

To prepare, Cage binge-drank for two weeks and studied footage of himself; Elisabeth Shue co-starred as Sera.

In The Rock (1996), Cage's FBI chemist Stanley Goodspeed breaks into which former prison?

Sean Connery played the only man ever to escape the island, and Ed Harris the rogue general threatening San Francisco with VX gas.

In Con Air (1997), Cage plays Cameron Poe, an honourably discharged member of which military unit?

The plane he must retake is a Fairchild C-123 nicknamed 'the Jailbird', hijacked by John Malkovich's Cyrus 'The Virus' Grissom.

What is Nicolas Cage's terrorist character called in Face/Off (1997)?

The film grossed $246 million worldwide, with both actors spending most of the running time playing each other's character.

City of Angels (1998), with Cage as an angel who falls for Meg Ryan, is a loose remake of which German film?

Cage said he took the role to 'return to more serious fare' after his run of action films.

Which director cast Cage as a corrupt detective in the 1998 thriller Snake Eyes?

It was Cage's second film of 1998, after City of Angels.

Which director's 1999 New York City paramedic drama Bringing Out the Dead starred Cage as Frank Pierce?

The screenplay was by Paul Schrader, reuniting the Taxi Driver team for another night-shift portrait of the city.

The Family Man (2000), Cage's alternate-life comedy, is often compared to which Christmas classic?

Téa Leoni played the wife he would have had if he had never left for a London internship.

In which 2002 film did Cage play twin brothers Charlie and Donald Kaufman?

Spike Jonze directed the metafictional comedy, and the fictional twin Donald was credited as co-writer of the screenplay.

The 2002 film about twin screenwriters centres on adapting which Susan Orlean book?

Meryl Streep played Orlean and Chris Cooper won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar as orchid poacher John Laroche.

In Matchstick Men (2003), Cage's con artist has Tourette syndrome and which other condition?

Sam Rockwell played his partner and Alison Lohman the teenager presented as his daughter.

In National Treasure (2004), the treasure map is hidden on the back of which document?

Jon Turteltaub's film grossed about $347.5 million and spawned the 2007 sequel Book of Secrets.

In Lord of War (2005), Cage plays Yuri Orlov, who makes his fortune in what trade?

The film opens from the point of view of a single bullet being manufactured and fired, and Amnesty International later endorsed it.

Which poorly reviewed 2006 remake starring Cage failed to make back its $40 million budget?

Its bee-related scenes have since become some of the most-quoted clips of Cage's career.

In Ghost Rider (2007), Cage plays Johnny Blaze, who sells his soul while working as what?

The film opened to more than $45 million and a sequel, Spirit of Vengeance, followed.

Which German director made Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) with Nicolas Cage?

The film sat at 87% positive on Rotten Tomatoes, one of Cage's best-reviewed of the decade.

In Kick-Ass (2010), Cage plays an ex-cop turned costumed vigilante known by what name?

His character, Damon Macready, trains his young daughter to fight crime alongside him.

Cage's highest-grossing film is a 2013 animated feature in which he voices caveman Grug. What is it?

It grossed $587.3 million worldwide, with Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds also in the voice cast.

At which festival did Panos Cosmatos's Mandy (2018), with Cage as a vengeful lumberjack, premiere?

The score was one of the last written by Jóhann Jóhannsson before his death, and the film is dedicated to him.

In the 2018 animated Miles Morales film, Cage voiced a monochrome 1930s Peter Parker known as what?

He headlines a live-action series about the same character, Spider-Noir, for MGM+ and Prime Video in 2026.

In Pig (2021), Cage plays Rob Feld, a former Portland chef living as a reclusive forager of what?

The plot is set in motion when his foraging pig is stolen; it was Michael Sarnoski's directorial debut.

Who plays the billionaire superfan in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)?

The CIA recruits the actor as an informant when they suspect his host of being an arms dealer.

In the 2023 horror comedy Renfield, Cage plays which literary character?

Nicholas Hoult played the title role, the Count's long-suffering familiar.

In Dream Scenario (2023), Cage's Paul is a professor who inexplicably starts appearing where?

The role brought him his fifth Golden Globe nomination.

Longlegs (2024), with Cage as a Satanic killer, grossed $128M on a budget under how much?

Written and directed by Osgood Perkins, it became distributor Neon's highest-grossing film, passing Parasite.

Cage wed Lisa Marie Presley in August 2002. After how many days did they file for divorce?

The divorce was not finalized until May 2004; his 2019 marriage to Erika Koike was even shorter, with an annulment filed after four days.

What Superman-inspired name did Cage and his wife Alice Kim give their son, born in 2005?

His elder son, Weston, was born in 1990 to actress Christina Fulton; his daughter August arrived in 2022.

Which comic, stolen from Cage in 2000, turned up in a storage locker in 2011 and sold for $2.16 million?

He had already been paid out by his insurer by the time the Superman debut issue resurfaced in the San Fernando Valley.

In 2006 Cage bought Schloss Neidstein, a medieval castle in which country?

The following year he also bought Midford Castle in Somerset, England; the IRS later alleged he owed over $6.2 million in 2007 taxes.

In 2007 Cage co-created a comic book called Voodoo Child, published by Virgin Comics, with whom?

Five years earlier he had made his directorial debut with the drama Sonny.

What name has Nicolas Cage given to his acting style, meant to unleash the imagination without restraint?

He was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1998, the year of City of Angels and Snake Eyes.

What was the title of Cage's 2002 directorial debut, starring James Franco as a male prostitute?

Brenda Blethyn played the mother who pimps him; the film got poor reviews and a short limited run.

Which Tiger King figure was Cage set to play in a series announced in 2020 and scrapped in 2021?

The eight-episode project was to be written by Dan Lagana before it was cancelled in July 2021.

Which legendary NFL coach and broadcaster did Cage sign to play in an Amazon MGM film in 2024?

He also headlines the 2026 series Spider-Noir as a live-action Spider-Man Noir.

After how many days did Cage file to annul his March 2019 Las Vegas marriage to Erika Koike?

He said he had been too intoxicated to understand his actions; he married Riko Shibata in February 2021.

Cage gave a seven-figure donation to which organisation to help rehabilitate former child soldiers?

His $2 million gift funded shelters, medical and psychological services for some of the 300,000 children forced to fight in conflicts worldwide.

Roughly how much did the IRS say Cage owed in unpaid federal income tax for 2007?

The lien was filed in New Orleans in July 2009; Cage responded with a $20 million lawsuit against his business manager.